Page 14 of Pushing Styxx
I grab the bag and take Hope’s hand in mine, not trusting her to get in her car. My gut tells me not to let her drive away without looking it over. I guide her over to my bike and motion for her to get on. She doesn’t say a word or fight me in any way, which tells me just how upset she is.
I swing on in front of her and reach back, pulling her arms around me, keeping her bag on my shoulder. I wasn’t wasting time getting her out of here. Once I have her at home, we’ll talk. I need to know what the hell this was all about. Not just what I know from her sister. I have a feeling Hope has secrets she’s keeping from Promise, and I’m going to find out exactly what they are. Then I’m gonna have one of my brothers look her car over, and at the same time, find out why the hell no one seemed to care he was out there in the first place.
CHAPTER 7
HOPE
I’ve never been on the back of a motorcycle, and if I didn’t have my uncle’s threats swirling around in my head, I might’ve enjoyed it so much more than I’ve allowed myself to.
I couldn’t get his latest threat out of my head. He might not have voiced it as an outright, in-my-face threat, but it was that nonetheless. I’ve never been able to understand why he’s got his mind set on getting custody of my sister. It doesn’t make sense to me. We’ve never been overly close with him. He’s my father’s half-brother for Pete’s sake, and they weren’t even that close.
Styxx pulls into his driveway, parks, and turns his bike off. Without a word, he taps my leg, indicating for me to get off. Holding onto him, I do just that and wait. I’m not stupid enough to think he’d just let me walk away without an explanation about what happened back at Keeper’s Temptation. I hope like hell this doesn’t cost me my job. Maybe that’s Uncle Ron’s plan, get me unemployed in hopes the courts see me as unfit.
Since the rent on our new place is much higher, along with her school fees, people could definitely view me that way because I would end up homeless and living out of my car.
I step from Styxx as he climbs off the bike, my bag still secure on his shoulder. He grabs my hand and tugs me up the handful of stairs to his porch, unlocks his door, and steps inside his house.
“Where’s Eabha?” I stupidly ask.
“She’s with her aunt tonight. Josephine declared she was spending the night with her and Scythe tonight. I guess it’s payback from all the times I stole my nephew and only gave him up when he needed to eat,” he says, tossing my bag on the floor next to the door before turning in my direction. “Have a seat, Hope.”
“Why does this feel like going to the principal’s office?” I mutter more to myself than to him.
“It’s not the principal’s office, but you can pretend it is if that’s what you want.” The gruffness of his voice sends shivers down my spine. If I could, I’d squeeze my thighs together to alleviate the pressure building at my core.
I wasn’t a virgin. I’d had sex, but it’s been years since it’s been with anyone other than myself. The thought of feeling Styxx sliding inside me, his skin brushing mine, his cock filling me deep. . . Stop. Stop. Stop. I need to put up a warning caution “Do not enter” flashing sign in my head. There’s no way I should be thinking about Styxx.
“I’m going to just jump ahead and not wait for the integration,” I tell him, after clearing my throat and taking a seat. I also don’t look up to meet his gaze as I do this. It’s unnerving what this man makes me feel.
“When my parents died, they left my little sister to me, knowing that I would be able to take care of her. Uncle Ron didn’t like this. Claims I’m unfit to take care of Promise. We’ve gone to court more times than I can count. Each time, Child Protective Services gets involved, and the judge ends up claiming I’m able to keep Promise with me. I prove to them eachtime she’s good with me. I don’t use the life insurance money left to us to raise her. I’ve worked my ass off to do it all on my own. I want my sister to have the money for when she finishes high school and goes to college.
“Uncle Ron thinks I’m not fit to do the job. I don’t see it as a job. I honestly don’t see why he even cares. Other than showing up a few times a year, he leaves us alone. He doesn’t actually see Promise. He typically shows up when she’s at school. Tonight’s a first, though.”
“How was tonight a first?” he asks, watching me closely. Those beautiful dark eyes of his seem to pierce through barriers I’ve kept in place for more years than I want to think about. They were the same eyes I’ve dreamed about over the past two weeks.
“It’s the first time he’s shown up at where I work. It’s always been either phone calls, texts, or even showing up at where we lived. I don’t know how he found out where I work. I hadn’t told him, nor had I mentioned moving to him. I’m sure you can gather that I don’t talk to him. It’s him always contacting me.”
“Why does he think he’d be better suited raising Promise?”
“God.” I sigh and throw myself back against the cushions, eyes on the ceiling. “I don’t know. I’ve never understood it. He’s not married. He’s not . . . I don’t know what he is.”
“Look at me, Hope,” Styxx demands. The husky, gravelly voice of his sends tendrils of sensations along my spine.
How is it just by his voice I can feel what I do?
I do as he orders and nearly swallow my tongue as I take in the feral glint in his gaze. The rage coiling through him. It’s purely visible, and I don’t like that it’s directed at me. I get why, though. I moved Promise in next door, and he’s got a little girl. I don’t think my uncle is more than just an annoyance, but he doesn’t deserve me bringing the drama to his door.
“I’m sorry that this happened. That my uncle showed up at Keeper’s Temptation. I’ll understand if the club doesn’t want me working there or causing problems. It’s?—”
“Shut it, Hope.” The grumbly growl that comes out of Styxx’s mouth sends another shiver along my spine.
I want to drop my gaze from his, but I don’t. Instead, I stare up at him as he gets to his feet, stalks the short distance between us, and reaches for me. His hand, warm and callused, wraps around my wrist and pulls me out of my seat, up into his arms. He lets me go only to wrap one arm around my waist, the other goes straight into my hair.
I’m not sure why he pulled me into his arms, but I love the feel of being pressed up against him, no matter the fact I shouldn’t.
“You’re not gonna lose your job because of this shit. You’re also not gonna deal with it alone anymore.”
I open my mouth to ask him what he means by me not dealing with it by myself, but he beats me to the punch.
